September 11, 2009

Crystal Ball

A weekly look at how prognosticators from around the country view the games.

Double D, Boston Herald: The consensus is that USC is loaded and Ohio State is rebuilding. But there are several points to ponder before betting the house on the Trojans in Saturday night’s marquee matchup.

Tim Sullivan, New York Post: The UCLA Bruins are on the road to ruin. Take Tennessee and give the points.

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Hlastradamus got off to a slow start, but so did Usain Bolt when he set a world record in the 100 meters at last month's world championships.

Matt Youmans, Las Vegas Review-Journal: Don't listen to the hype. There's no better value on the board than Ohio State and the points against a USC team with a freshman quarterback playing his first road game.

National Championship Issue: Stanford has a long trip to get to Wake Forest. It will be an even longer trip home.

Jon Wilner, College Sports Hotline: Pete Carroll is going to regret starting freshman Matt Barkley at Ohio State. Here's another vote for the Buckeyes. He went 0-5 in his national picks last week, but promises to do better. For starters, he likes Tulane and the points against Brigham Young.